1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to ethanol production byproducts and more specifically it relates to a biogas, fertilizer and recyclable water producing system for efficiently producing biogas and fertilizer from the byproducts of ethanol production.
2. Description of the Related Art
Any discussion of the related art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such related art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.
Anaerobic digestion is a process in which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen. Anaerobic digestion is a renewable energy source because the process produces a methane and carbon dioxide rich biogas suitable for energy production helping to replace fossil fuels. The biogas is a natural-gas substitute that can be used in various applications, such as being burned in a furnace or used to power a turbine for electricity. Today, the process is widely used in wastewater treatment because it provides volume and mass reduction of the input material.
The production of ethanol generally requires a significant amount of fossil fuel to produce the product. For this reason, among others, the production of ethanol has been widely critized as to whether it is an efficient source of fuel, wherein the amount of energy required to produce ethanol may be close to the amount of energy outputted from the ethanol process. Because of the inherent problems with the related art, there is a need for a new and improved biogas, fertilizer and recyclable water producing system for efficiently producing biogas and fertilizer from the byproducts of ethanol production.